Wings For Rachel

After the death of Paramore fan Rachel Fitzgerald was announced during the week, it really hit home hard. Rachel was on her way to Parahoy and was already in America when she suffered a stroke and in a matter of hours her brain had shut down and she was sadly gone. Rachel was a very keen Paramore fan having met them previously in Belfast in 2012 at a meet & greet which I also attended. In actual fact, Rachel was right next to me in the line. I remember she very proudly showed off her tattoo to each member of the band and they were all very impressed/honoured that she had gotten such a magnificent piece of artwork on her body dedicated to them.

I remember she was excited and we exchanged a few words but it wasn’t until after the show that I realised we actually followed each other on Twitter. I feel very privileged right now that I was there to witness one of the happiest moments of her life.

This is a perfect example of never knowing what’s around the corner. Rachel was set to embark on a magical experience of seeing a band, that she quite obviously loved, on a cruise ship surrounded by other like-minded fans yet sadly she never got to experience it. The Paramore fans community has started donating money together for Rachel’s family which you can also do here if you would like to help – http://wings-for-rachel.com/

It is small comfort to know, by reading her last tweets, that she was clearly on top of the world and living her life to the fullest which is what I actively encourage anyone to do. Life can be the most beautiful thing but can be so very cruel too. So tonight, tell someone you love them. Phone that friend you’ve not heard from in a while. Resolve that silly argument you had with your best friend. Life is short and, as horrific to think as it is, you never know the possibility of it being somone’s last day on earth.